Things to Do in NYC, December 2025

The Blankman List of music, art, theater, and more happening in New York City this December

The Blankman List is a monthly curated list of things to do in New York City. It showcases the full range of what there is to do, for residents and tourists alike.

I especially seek out artistic and cultural events like concerts, plays, and art exhibits, along with anything that is high-quality, notable, and/or free. There is at least one event for every day of December 2025, and no borough or event type is off limits.

Creating this list is a lot of work for me! Seeing events past the first week requires a paid subscription. All subscribers, however, receive a free highlights post.

Disclaimer: Before going anywhere, please confirm the date, time, location, cost, and description using the listed website. Any event is at risk of being rescheduled, relocated, sold out, at capacity, or canceled. Costs are rounded to the nearest dollar and may change. I try to vet quality and describe accurately, but I may misjudge. All views are my own.

Monday, December 1

• Stirring the Melting Pot: Photographs from The New York Historical Collection

  • Guided tour by historian Valerie Paley on a new exhibition of photographs documenting the immigrant experience in New York; 11 am

  • $35

  • The New York Historical

  • 170 Central Park W (Upper West Side, Manhattan)

• Candlelight Vigil and Concert Featuring the Red Ribbon Revue

  • Public candlelight vigil and performance celebrating the legacy of HIV-positive artists in commemoration of World AIDS Day; 6:30 pm

  • Free

  • New York City AIDS Memorial

  • 76 Greenwich Ave (West Village, Manhattan)

Tuesday, December 2

• Piano Master Class with Corey Hamm

  • Public piano performance master class given by Corey Hamm, one of the “foremost champions of contemporary piano music”; 4 pm

  • Free

  • Manhattan School of Music, Greenfield Hall

  • 130 Claremont Ave (Morningside Heights, Manhattan)

Wednesday, December 3

• From Two Dimensions to Four: Exploring Mathematics Through Pop-up Constructions

  • Public lecture by mathematician Richard Hammack about mathematical pop-up books, with a 4-D cube pop-up card-making workshop; 4 & 7 pm

  • Free

  • National Museum of Mathematics

  • 225 5th Ave (Madison Square Park, Manhattan)

• Rijsttafel Reimagined: An Indonesian Ceremonial Banquet

  • Multi-course traditional Indonesian meal from chef Cedric Vongerichten, with cocktail reception and wine or beverage pairings; 6:30 pm

  • $195–$250

  • Pier 57

  • 25 11th Ave

• Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting

  • Annual tradition where a 75-foot Christmas tree is ceremoniously lit amid packed crowds and broadcast live; 7–10 pm

  • Free

  • Rockefeller Center

  • 30 Rockefeller Plaza (Midtown, Manhattan)

• Do Mathematicians Need Computers?

  • Public lecture by mathematician Martin Hairer on how computations and computers have impacted pure mathematics; 6–7 pm (5:30 pm doors)

  • Free

  • Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium

  • 160 5th Ave (Flatiron District, Manhattan)

Thursday, December 4

• Practice

  • Nazareth Hassan’s new Off-Broadway play about power, surrender, and what it takes to be a genius; 7:30 pm; through Dec 7

  • $64–$104

  • Playwrights Horizons, Judith O. Rubin Theater

  • 416 W 42nd St (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

• KONTUSION, Satanic Magick, Shatter, Heretic Bodyhammer

  • Concert featuring death metal band KONTUSION, NYC-based thrash metal band Satanic Magick, and others; 7 pm

  • $16

  • TV Eye, The Ballroom

  • 1647 Weirfield St (Ridgewood, Queens)

• A Baroque Christmas in Rome

  • Concert of Baroque-era music with period instruments that “might have been heard on Christmas Eve in the basilica,” with pre-concert lecture; 7:30 pm (6:30 pm lecture)

  • $45

  • Church of St. Luke in the Fields

  • 487 Hudson St (West Village, Manhattan)

Friday, December 5

• How to Listen to Theremin with the NY Theremin Society

  • Guided workshop from the NY Theremin Society on how to play the theremin, with no experience required; 2–3 pm

  • Free with museum admission, which is pay-what-you-wish for NYC residents and NY, NJ, CT students, otherwise $30 adult / $22 senior / $17 student

  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art Fifth Avenue, Gallery 681

  • 1000 5th Ave (Upper East Side, Manhattan)

• Reflections on the Moon

  • Conversation between NASA’s Denise Hill, astrophysicist Adrian Bayer, and sociologist Tracy Scott on the moon’s role across science and culture, followed by reception; 6–8 pm (5:30 pm doors)

  • Free

  • Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium

  • 160 5th Ave (Flatiron District, Manhattan)

Saturday, December 6

• String Quartet No. 3 OCTET

  • Experimental multimedia musical work by composer Paul Pinto that’s a “marriage of sonic slowness and visual anticipation”; 7 & 9 pm; Dec 5 & 6

  • $25 general / $15 student/senior

  • CultureHub NYC

  • 47 Great Jones St, 3rd Floor (NoHo, Manhattan)

• NYCRuns Cocoa Classic 5K

  • Casual 5-kilometer running race through Prospect Park; 9 am (7 am arrival)

  • $60 (includes medal and refreshments)

  • Prospect Park

  • Start at Well House Dr & West Dr (Prospect Park, Brooklyn)

Sunday, December 7

• The New Yorker in Dog Years

  • Exhibition of 100 years of dogs on the cover of The New Yorker on loan from a private collection; 11 am–6 pm; through Dec 7

  • $5–$15 entry

  • American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog

  • 101 Park Ave (Midtown East, Manhattan)

• Sylvie Courvoisier with Mary Halvorson and Wadada Leo Smith

  • Experimental classical pianist-composer Sylvie Courvoisier performs duos with guitarist Mary Halvorson and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith; 8 pm (7 pm doors)

  • $25 advance / $30 doors / $20 student/senior

  • Roulette

  • 509 Atlantic Ave (Boerum Hill, Brooklyn)